Buckle for ski and mountaineering shoes

ABSTRACT

A BUCKLE FOR SKI AND/OR MOUNTAINEERING SHOES, WHEREIN THE TENSIONING LEVER OR OTHER CRITICAL PARTS THEREOF CAN BE READILY REMOVED FOR REPLACEMENT. SUCH CRITICAL PART IS FASTENED TO A PLATE WHICH IS THEN INDEPENDENTLY FASTENED BY ANY SUITABLE BUT DETACHABLE MEANS TO A FURTHER PLATE WHICH IS PERMANENTLY FASTENED TO THE BOOT OR SHOE.

Feb. 9, 1971 l.. BASO A ABumm: Fon` sx1 AND MoUNTAINEERiNGsHoEs sind' Feb. 1?, 1969 INVENTOR.

UnitedStates Patent Office 3,561,067 BUCKLE FOR SKI AND MOUNTAINEERING SHOES Loris Baso, Corso Milano 19, Padua, Italy Filed Feb. 17, 1969, Ser. No. 799,737 Claims priority, application Italy, May 25, 1968, 16,917/ 68 Int. Cl. A43c 11/00 U.S. Cl. 24-70 14 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLSUREv The invention relates to a buckle for ski and mountaineering shoes comprising a tensioning lever cooperating wth a clamping loop, said tensioning lever being pivotably supported in a bearing block, whereby same is connected to a support plate used for securement on the shoe.

In known buckles of this type, the bearing block and the support plate are made as a single part which means they are connected tightly and unreleasably. However, it can happen that, due to excessive stress, damage may occur to the tensioning lever, the bearing block or also the bearing axis. In such a case, the entire unit consisting of tensioning lever, bearing block and support plate must then be replaced by a new one. The present difficulties inasmuch as the support plate is connected to the shoe by means of three rivets and the removal of the rivets is diicult since to do so, a boring machine is required. Further, on the inside of the shoe the rivets are covered by the instep lining so that the rivet heads must be pulled through the instep lining and this leaves undesirable holes in the instep lining.

The riveting of the new unit encounters further ditiiculties because a special hand riveting machine is required to effect the riveting operation, which machine must be provided with along arm in order to penetrate inside the shoe. Even so, the riveting operation is very difficult in many cases since the rivets are positioned in areas to which access is difficult. Because of the difficulty of such operations, same could only be performed by very few shoe stores and these at best resulted in much time loss and expense.

In other instances in the past, shoes have been suggested in which the buckle is not connected to the shoe by rivets but instead are molded into a ilap of plastic whereby several buckles are secured to said flap and the ap is connected to the shoe. Furthermore, shoes are known which consist totally or mostly of plastic and in which the support plates of the buckles are molded. In the case of such shoes, the replacement of a complete buckle is not at all possible and a repair job on single parts of the buckle results in even greater diiculties. If the bearing block is damaged, a repair is entirely impossible.

The basic purpose of the invention is to construct a buckle for ski and mountaineering shoes of the abovementioned type in which damaged parts can be replaced quickly and easily by anybody. To attain this purpose the invention provides that the bearing block and the support plate consist of two parts and the bearing block is releasably connected to the support plate. If in a buckle of the construction of the invention the tensioning lever, the bearing axis or also the bearing block itself are damaged, then the damaged unit consisting of tensioning lever, bearing axis and bearing block is released from the sup- 3,561,067 Patented Feb. 9, 1971 port plate and replaced with a new one. This exchange of the damaged unit with a new one can be done quickly by anybody, particularly if screws are partly provided for tllre releasable connection of bearing block and support p ate.

Further advantages and details of the invention are discussed hereinbelow in detail with reference to the four illustrated embodiments set forth in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a lirst embodiment along the line I-I of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a top view;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a second embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional View along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a further embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a still further embodiment.

A tensioning lever is identified at 1. A clamping loop 3 can engage notches 2 of said tensioning lever 1. If desired, said clamping loop could be fixedly pivoed to the tensioning lever, as is the case in many other known buckles. The tensioning lever 1 is pivotable about a bearing axis 4 which in turn is arranged in the bearing block 5. A support plate 6 is used for securing the buckle on the shoe by means of rivets (not illustrated) which extend through the holes 7. As can be recognized from the drawings, the bearing block 5 and the support plate 6 consist of two parts and are releasably connected. The bearing block can for this purpose be provided with a base plate 8 which extends parallel to the support plate 6. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the longitudinal edges 9 of the suport plate, which longitudinal edges extend parallel to the tensioning lever 1, are rst bent upwardly and then inwardly as particularly illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, they form a Ushaped guide 10 on each longitudinal side of the support plate. The base plate 8 of the bearing block 5 comprises flanges 11 which jut laterally over the bearing block. The flanges 11 are inserted into the guides 10 of the support plate 6, which guides are formed by the bent longitudinal edges 9. Thus, the bearing block is guided movably carriage-like by means of its base plate on the support plate. In order to prevent escape of the bearing block from the support plate or a further movement due to the tensioning forces, the base plate 8 of the bearing block is connected to the support plate 6 by means of a screw 12. A stop 13 can be provided on the front end of the support plate 6 so that the screw 12 is not subjected to the often considerable tensioning forces. The stop 13 is advantageously pressed out of the suport plate upwardly as can be seen in FIG. l.

If due to an excessive stress, the tensioning lever 1, the axis 4 of the tensioning lever or the bearing block 5 is damaged, it is then possible after loosening the screw 12, to remove the unit comprising the tensioning lever, axis and bearing block in direction A from the guide 10 of the holding plate and to replace same with a new unit. This new unit is then inserted into the guide 10l in reversed manner and is secured therein by means of the screw 12. Such an exchange can be done by practically anybody.

FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate a second embodiment. Here too, the bearing block 5' has a base plate 8 which is releasably connected to the support plate 6. A ap 14 is for this purpose punched out of the holding plate 6', said ilap 14 being bent in a hook-shaped manner to the rear end of the holding plate 6' which end faces away from the clamping loop. A recess 15 is provided in the base plate 8', said hook-shaped flap 14 extending into and en gaging an edge of said recess 15. Thus, the hook-shaped llap 14 receives the tensioning forces and secures the base plate 8 against lifting off from the support plate 6. If necessary, several aps and recesses distributed in longitudinal direction along the support plate or the base plate could be provided in place of the one ap 14 and the one recess 15. To prevent the bearing blocks which engages the hook-shaped ap 14, from becoming improperly disconnected from the support plate 6', a fastening screw 16 is provided at the front end of the base plate, said fastening screw being screwed into the suport plate 6. This fastening screw is substantially relieved of stresses because same are received by the hook-shaped flap. The recess is advantageously provided near the rear and of the base plate 8 because the tensioning forces which occur during the closing of the tensioning lever 1 and which try to lift the base plate 8 off the support plate 6' at the rear end are thus received in the best manner.

In order to obtain a still better connection between the bearing block 5 and the support plate 6 and also to construct the support plate 6 rigidly, it is advantageous if the longitudinal edges \17 of the support plate 6 are bent upwardly at their center portion as is particularly illustrated in FIG. 6. Thus, the support plate 6 is reinforced in its center portion. Since, however, the upwardly bent longitudinal edges 17 also abut the longitudinal sides of the bearing block S or of the base plate 8', said longitudinal edges give a still better support in lateral direction to said parts.

The replacement of a unit consisting of the tensioning lever 1', bearing axis 4 and bearing block 5 can then be done in a simple manner by loosening the fastening screw 16 and then moving the bearing block 5 a little way to the right in direction B. The bearing block can then, together with the tensioning lever, be removed in upward direction. A new unit can be placed onto the support plate in the reverse manner, is moved leftwardly and is secured by means of the fastening screw.

The present invention is not to be limited to the illustrated embodiments. Most parts of the illustrated embodiments consist of punched sheet metal. It is, of course, also possible to cast or mold these parts of aluminum or plastic. The bores 7 which are used for securing the support plate on the shoe can also be arranged at other places on the support plate or the support plate can be molded into a plastic flap or into an entire shoe made of plastic. The fastening screws provided on both embodiments can be replaced by correspondingly constructed parts of the support plate which will be bent for the replacement of bearing block and tensioning lever. This, however, would be disadvantageous in comparison to a screw connection in that these operations could probably be done only by a shoe store.

If necessary, it would also be conceivable to provide in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 resilient parts on the base plate or on the support plate instead of the fastening screw, which resilient parts would engage the guides of the support plate after the insertion of the bearing block. Such an embodiment is also illustrated in FIG. 7. In this embodiment a leaf spring 18 is fastened, for example by spot welding, to the rear end of the support plate 6', whereby said leaf spring is lifted up slightly at its free front end 18a by the support plate 6". During insertion of the base plate 8" of the bearing block 5", the leaf spring 18 is pressed down onto the support plate 6. After the base plate 8 has been inserted, the free end 18a of the leaf spring 18 returns upwardly and abuts the rear edge 19 of the base plate 8. If the bearing block is to be replaced, the front end 18a of the leaf spring is simply pressed downwardly and the bearing block together with its base plate pulled out.

FIG. 8 illustrates a further embodiment which is a modification of the buckle illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6. Here two punched-out and rearwardly bent abutments 20, 21 are provided on the support plate 6. These abutments are provided approximately in the center of the support plate. The base plate 8 has accordingly two recesses 22 and 23 which are engaged by the hook-shaped abutments. A screw 24 provided close to the rear end normally prevents movement of the bearing block 5. The screw 24 is released during replacement of the bearing block 5" and the tensioning lever 1' abutting same. The tensioning forces are received even better through the two bent abutments so that the screw 24 is not under any substantial stress.

Instead of bending the lateral edges of the support plate 6 upwardly, same could be provided with two ribs on its upper side. The abutments in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6 or 8 could in the case of cast or molded base plates, for example of aluminum, also be manufactured by casting or molding.

Since the leather stretches during a long use of a ski or mountaineering shoe, it can happen that the adjustability given by the teeth of the tensioning lever is no longer suicient. It is therefore advantageous if the bearing block is adjustably arranged in longitudinal direction of the support plate. Several openings are arranged in series in a longitudinal direction along the base plate of the bearing block for permitting the abutments to extend therethrough. In an embodiment which would be similar to FIG. 8, a slotted hole would be sufficient whereby then, of course, several punched-out parts would have to be provided as abutments.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a buckle for a ski and mountaineering shoe having a tensioning lever and a clamping loop, the combination comprising:

a support plate lixedly secured to said shoe and having longitudinally extending guide means thereon;

a base assembly including a base plate removably mounted on said support plate and guided thereon by said guide means and coupling means supported on said base plate; and

means for releasably locking said base plate to said support plate to thereby render same immovable relative to said support plate, said locking means, when released, permitting a movement of said base plate relative to said support plate to thereby permit a replacement of a worn-out base assembly with a new base assembly.

2. A buckle according to claim 1, wherein said releasable locking means is a screw and includes cooperating means on said base plate and said support plate to receive said screw to releasably fasten said removable base plate to said support plate.

3. A buckle according to claim 2, wherein said coupling means comprises a bearing block fixedly secured to said btse plate and a lever pivotally secured to said bearing b ock.

4. A buckle according to claim 2, wherein said longitudinally extending guide means comprises a pair of longitudinally extending, parallel flange means extending upwardly from said support plate adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof, said base plate being received between said flange means whereby said flange means resists sideward movement of said base plate relative to said support plate.

5. A buckle according to claim 4, wherein said flange means include laterally inwardly extending projections adjacent the uper free ends thereof, said base plate including laterally outwardly extending flanges receivable beneath said projections to thereby resist an upward movement of said base plate relative to said support plate.

6. A buckle according to claim 2, including flap means on said support plate and projecting upwardly therefrom, means on said base plate cooperating with said ap means to resist a longitudinal movement of said base plate relative to said support plate parallel to said guide means.

7. A buckle according to claim 6, wherein said Hap means comprise an upwardly extending flange punched out of said support plate and an integral longitudinally extending projection adjacent the upper free edge thereof, said longitudinally extending projection extending away from said clamping loop, said base plate having means defining at least one recess for receiving said flap means.

8. A buckle according to claim 7, wherein said screw and said means cooperable therewith is longitudinally spaced from said flap means on a side thereof opposite said projection.

9. A buckle according to claim 7, wherein said screw and said means cooperable therewith is longitudinally spaced from said ap means on the same side thereof as said projection.

10. A buckle according to claim 6, wherein said ap means comprise a pair of longitudinally spaced Aupwardly extending anges punched out of said support plate each having an integral longitudinally extending projection adjacent the upper free ends thereof, said longitudinally extending projections extending away from said clamping loop, said base plate having means defining a pair of recesses for receiving said flanges and projections.

11. A buckle according to claim 10, wherein any one of said pair of longitudinally spaced flanges and projections are receivable in any one of said recess means in said base plate to thereby render said base plate adjustable longitudinally of said support plate; and

including a plurality of cooperating means on said support plate cooperable with said screw to thereby permit a releasable fastening of said base plate to said support plate in a plurality of different positions.

12. A buckle according to claim 2, including means defining a stop adjacent one longitudinal end of said support plate to limit the longitudinal movement in one direction of said base plate relative to said support plate.

13. A buckle according to claim 12, wherein said screw and said means cooperable therewith are located at an end of said support plate and said base plate remote from said stop means.

14. A buckle according to claim 12, wherein said stop means is pressed upwardly out of said support plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,401,432 9/ 1968 Tresenreiter 24 70SK 3,408,752 11/ 1968 Lllmann 36-50X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,332,739 6/ 1963 France 24-70SK DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner 

